No-Bake Golden Oreo Lemon Dessert

I’m in love with lemon, are you? Good, because I have another lemon dessert for you: a No-Bake Golden Oreo Lemon Dessert filled with lemon curd flavor!

I’m kind of in love with no-bake desserts. They’re so easy to make and they don’t heat up your kitchen. And they’re so good!

{I know, most of you are all “it’s snowing, I don’t care!” but here out side Sacramento it’s late Spring weather. It was in the 80s this weekend!}

I think I’m going to institute a no-bake summer. What do you think? I’m just getting my taste of the oven-free recipes and I think I like them. Plus, not turning on my oven from June-August would really help my hefty electric bill.

Anyway, back to lemon and this dessert. If it is still snowing where you are, this will get you in the mood for Spring, lickety split. Just the bright yellow alone makes me crave flip flops!

I’ve never made one of these heavenly luscious type desserts before, but after seeing Mandy’s Heavenly Oreo Dessert last week, I knew I needed to make my own version. I still have bags of lemons left from the last time my mother-in-law emptied her tree, and I had some egg yolks left over from a cake I made (recipe coming later this week!).

You know what that means, right? Lemons + egg yolks = lemon curd. And because I can eat lemon curd with a spoon, I had to put it in something fast. Behold…this no-bake Golden Oreo Lemon Dessert.

This dessert has a few different layers to it. First, the crust. Crushed Golden Oreos are mixed with softened butter (not melted) and placed into a 9×9″ baking dish. This isn’t a traditional crust – it’s not solid. It’s crumbly, but once the layers are added and it’s chilled it sets up nicely.

On top of the crust sits a layer of pudding. I used a cheesecake flavored pudding mix, but you can use lemon or vanilla, or even coconut. I didn’t make this with sugar-free pudding, but I think you could substitute it if you wish. You add 1 cup of milk to a small box of instant pudding, which is less than is called for on the box. Once it sets, you mix it with whipped topping (aka Cool Whip).

Let’s talk Cool Whip for a minute. First, I don’t think it’s death in a container, so please don’t tell me it is. Second, please buy actual Cool Whip, not imitation (not all imitations are made equal). And third, what I love about whipped topping is that you can substitute regular, fat-free, low-fat (lite), or sugar-free and it doesn’t matter, at least in this recipe. Use whichever you like!

On top of the pudding mixture is the bright yellow lemon curd layer. I mixed it with some more whipped topping to make it spread easier and go a little further. You can buy lemon curd by the jams and jellies at most grocery stores. I have a recipe I like, but the one I used for this is from Glorious Layered Desserts by Glory Albin of Glorious Treats. The recipe is perfect! (Her book is awesome, BTW. I’ll have a recipe and review next week!)

The top is spread with more Cool Whip and sprinkled with more Golden Oreos. They’re also spread between the layers too. You need to be patient when making this dessert – it comes together quickly but then it must chill for at least 8 hours before you eat it. If you cut into it too soon it’ll just fall apart. Chilling for the proper amount of time ensures nice squares when served.

I only got to take one bite of this dessert (it was headed to a potluck) but it was all I could do to only take one bite. The lemon curd flavor shines through all the other layers. And the Golden Oreos…well. Those need no explanation!

If you’re looking for an easy, no-bake dessert that screams SPRING, this is the one for you.

Directions:

Place 20 cookies in a gallon sized sandwich bag. Seal the bag except for one corner so air can escape and roll with a rolling pin to coarsely crush the cookies. Place cookies and butter in a large bowl. Mix with a spoon (or your hands) until the butter has been worked through. Place in the bottom of a 9x9” pan. Note: this is not a crust in the traditional sense. It’s loose and not compacted.

You May Also Like...

118 comments on “No-Bake Golden Oreo Lemon Dessert”

My mom makes this stuff called lemon lush which is cool whip, lemon or lemon pudding? but with angel food cake all soaked together for like 12 hours. I love your version with the golden oreos and I can tell it’s much more tooth-sinkable than my mom’s which is truly like eating air. Lol. You are the queen of awesome lemon desserts! pinned

Ummm….I take back what I said on Friday about that being your best dessert ever…this totally is! I have a total lemon addiction…and I LOVE golden oreos (not so much a fan of the chocolate ones.) Have you tried the Breyers Blasts Golden oreo ice cream? To.die.for.
I would have never thought of pairing these, and I’m sure glad you did! Pinned!

I would kill for some 80* weather and a huge pan full of this lemon goodness right about now. Our temps dropped into the 20’s again yesterday. Winter can die any day now 🙂 This is one crazy awesome dessert girl…I would have trouble waiting 8 hours to dig in though!

I love no-bake desserts, too — they’re the best! This is like a dessert my aunt used to make when I was growing up — she just used chocolate and cream cheese with a shortbread crust. I love this lemon version — the lemon curd takes this over the top in the best possible way for me!

Whoa – this lemon dessert is definitely one of my favorite desserts of yours!! I can’t even tell you how much I am loving the Golden Oreos in this… they are my all-time kryptonite. Oh, and I am totally on board with instituting a no-bake summer. Nothing beats a no-bake perfection like this one. Thanks for another brilliant recipe, Dorothy!

They have them in regular grocery stores too (Lowes Foods in SC at least), but they disappeared everywhere down here for a few weeks and I’m just seeing them again. If you like them, stock up – because they’re limited time only I believe! I bought an extra pack just for this recipe.

I LOVE lemon curd so can’t wait to give this a go! 2 questions though, what could I use in place of Cool Whip (I’ve heard plenty about this magical ingredient but we aren’t able to purchase it in Australia) and same with the Golden Oreo, is there a similar substitute? Thank you!

You could use whipped cream instead of the Cool Whip, but it might not hold it’s shape as well (it’ll still be good!). My friend at Something Swanky has a copycat Cool Whip recipe, if you’re interested: http://www.somethingswanky.com/homemade-cool-whip/. For the Oreos, any golden type sandwich cookie would work, or even shortbread or vanilla or anything that would go with lemon! 🙂

Yes! I have a pack of those but have been resisting opening them. I think these would be perfect with those (and, really, the only reason I didn’t use them was because I’d get all sorts of questions like “where do I find those?” or “I can’t get them what can I use instead???” 🙂 Enjoy!

As soon as I read “lemon curd,” I got SO excited. I remembered how you posted that picture on Instagram after making Glory’s, so I knew this recipe had to be amazing! You have a ton of self-control not to take more than one bite; I could never do that. Ever. I always need at least three — BIG bites. 😉 And YES, we definitely need a no-bake Sacramento summer!!

I read somewhere recently that America’s favorite flavor after chocolate is lemon (not vanilla). I wasn’t too surprised. I personally would place lemon over chocolate as a favorite. 🙂 Gooey, creamy, sweet and tart lemon desserts are the best! Add in some crunchy golden oreos and Dorothy you have done it again! Yum. 🙂

Can you believe that I have never tried a Golden Oreo!?! What is wrong with me? I love lemony desserts. Maybe this made with those new Lemon Cream Oreos? I haven’t tried those yet either, lol. This looks delicious, Dorothy 😀

I am from UK and not sure what box (3.4 ounces) cheesecake, lemon, coconut, or vanilla pudding is? Is there an equivalent to this that I could use as I don’t think any of the shops here sell a pudding mix?

I love no-bake desserts, especially now since we’re having an unseasonably warm springtime. A few days ago I was legit sweating outside during a walk with Mannie… WTH?! This looks so easy and involves lemon curd which instantly makes it amazing.

I am obsessed with anything lemon or lime, some people love peanut butter and chocolate…mine is lemon/lime anything! LOL And this no bake lemon dessert looks so delicious, I could eat the whole dish! Need to make this ASAP 🙂

We love anything lemon, so we decided to give this a try. I couldn’t wrap my head around the Oreos being in there, so I used butter cookies instead. Everyone loved it! This will be my go to dessert when I have to bring something to a gathering.

Hello! This looks totally fabulous! Question though… how many cups would you say this recipe uses of lemon curd? I was going to use a jar of lemon curd from trader joes that is 10.5 oz. Thank you! I hope to make this for the fourth of July this weekend!

This looks absolutely amazing! I have a slight obsession with lemons and golden Oreos too(: I was just wondering if I could easily half the recipe and get the same result? Or would the ratios be a little off if I did that?

You could half the recipe, and use a smaller pan. But you’ll have to adjust the amount of pudding and all that. These dessert recipes are perfect for that – a little off doesn’t make a huge difference (unlike baking!) Enjoy!

I made the recipe as written, using lemon pudding and jarred lemon curd. I can’t begin to tell you how incredible it was! The dessert didn’t even last 24 hours! I am looking forward to trying other flavors the next time my family asks for something decadent. Thanks for the recipe :-)).

My favorite flavor of oreo cookies is LEMON. I would suggest using the LEMON oreos over the GOLDEN oreos for more lemon punch! Also, in any lemon dish, always add some lemon zest for much flavor punch! Double-bang!